


Weltzeituhr

by lykxxn



Category: Original Work
Genre: Berlin (City), Bisexual Male Character, Deaf Character, Detectives, Divination, Fantasy, Gen, Immortals, Murder, Mystery, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 23:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13962045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lykxxn/pseuds/lykxxn
Summary: Ellis Fang is not what you'd expect of a detective. He's quiet, modest and withdrawn, and hehatesSherlock Holmes. But he has a special gift, one that has the power to either keep him safe or put him in eternal danger. What with that and his immortal companion's kidnapped sprite-child, things arenotlooking bright.And, to make matters worse, it looks like he's going to have to break the unspoken rule of never letting things get personal.





	Weltzeituhr

 

> _ “Many small people, who in many small places, do many small things, can alter the face of the world.” _
> 
> — Commissioned by an anonymous African artist for the East Side Gallery

**⚝**

Occasionally, if you walk by the East Side Gallery early on a Monday morning, you might pass two men. They might look like tourists, and for a moment you might be fooled into thinking so, but after a while, you will put two and two together, and realise that it is far too early for tourists to be out, and that they are far too familiar with the area to be tourists. But they are foreign, you know that much: they speak English. After a while, you will forget about them. They will most likely never cross your mind again, for the city is full of foreign businessmen awake so early.

But we are not businessmen.

We have lived here long enough to have made a name for ourselves, but you will only know of us if you need us. What would be the point otherwise?

But if, by some luck, you take a train from Ostbahnhof (they depart every three minutes, but if you know the place it is easier to walk, in case you are interested) to Alexanderplatz, cross the road and head toward ALEXA, you will more often than not spot a beggar, dressed in grey-brown rags and holding a sign that says “Ich habe kein Geld. Hilfen bitte!” (In case you don’t speak German, it says “I have no money. Please help!”)

It is true. He is a very poor man, made so by an increasingly unlucky set of circumstances. If I had seen it coming, I would have helped him. The least I could offer was a roof over his head until he gets back on his feet again, but enough of that. Despite your prejudices against the homeless, please squash that recurring thought that he could be a drug addict and approach him. His dog will be, as per usual, resting her head on his knee. If you approach him, spare him a euro and ask for Fang and Washington. He will direct you down the main road and tell you to take a right down Alexanderstrasse. From there, you should turn onto Magazinstrasse and follow it until you reach Shillingstrasse, turning right and then left onto Singerstrasse. You should, then, make an immediate left again and find yourself on Jacobystrasse. If you walk to the fourth house, keeping to the left, you will see a sign: “Fang & Washington: Privatdetektive”.

We are not businessmen.

_ I  _ am a detective, and there’s a good chance I saw you coming.

My assistant and right-hand-man will serve you a drink (and possibly a slice of cake if there’s any left); you will explain your case to him, and once you are done, he will translate. I will probably already have the gist of what you are talking about, but lip-reading is never one hundred percent accurate, and I find that in this job, accuracy is imperative.

I may not accept. I am not the only detective in Berlin, and there may be someone else around who is much more suited to your tastes. I do not, after all, deal with everything.

If I do accept, you will find me a thorough man. I have a silent reputation to upkeep: that being that I do my job well (or so I’ve been told). I am, however, not like the detectives you read about in novels. I am not, nor do I claim to be, some sort of Sherlock Holmes. (Or at least I hope I’m not: his ego is one of the many things I hate about the man.) But I do my best to live up to the expectations the customers have of me, since their honour, and the honour of those they love, depends on me.

My work is not inherently dangerous. But I have to be careful, as I have been for the past three years, because I’ve seen. I have seen it over and over again; snippets of the future, of murder after murder. I’ve seen the danger I am about to be in.

And I know as well as anyone that even if you know what the future holds, it is near impossible to change.


End file.
